2006 Kia Rio (Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123)

Let's do some math:
You have $14,000 in your pocket, you want over 40 MPG in fuel economy, at least two airbags, an MP3 player and a good, long warranty, say 100,000 kilometers. You like 5-speed manual gearboxes, need four proper seats (five in a pinch) and figure about 100 horsepower will satisfy your right foot. 110 Horsepower? Even better. Look at some of the competition- for instance, a Chevy Aveo starts at a few hundred dollars more, but you get less power, and pay extra for the MP3 CD player. The Toyota Echo is equipped similarly, but can cost around $1000 more than the Rio.

Seems to me like Kia has put the bare minimum price-tag onto more than a bare minimum car. Go try one out, crunch some numbers, and it's likely the one you'll pick. It's easy on the environment, easy on your eyes, easy to own and best of all, easy to afford. Congratulations, Kia, on making the Ultimate First Car!